Unless otherwise indicated herein, the subject matter described in this section is not prior art to the claims in this application and is not admitted to the prior art by inclusion in this section.
Many saw devices are adapted to receive fences, also known as material guides or guide assemblies, to assists users in making cuts through material. One type of fence commonly found on table saws is the rip fence. The rip fence is a table saw guide that assists users in making lengthwise cuts through material, as when cutting wood along the grain. Most rip fences traverse the table parallel to the cutting direction of the blade. In order to make cuts of varying width, a user slides the fence along the table closer to or farther away from the blade. To ensure an accurate cut is made, the fence is typically securely fastened to the table.
FIG. 9 depicts a saw device in the form of a table saw that includes a known rip fence 30. The table saw 10 includes a base 12 that supports an enclosure 14. The enclosure 14 houses an electric motor having a shaft upon which a cutting tool, usually a blade 16, is mounted for rotation. A planar surface, commonly referred to as a table 18, is secured to the top of the enclosure 14. The table 18 is usually constructed of a rigid and flat material such as metal, plastic, or fiberglass. The blade 16 projects through an opening 20 in the surface of the table 18. A guide 22 is located toward a front of the table 18 and a guide 24 is located toward a rear of the table 18.
The rip fence 30 has a clamping system with clamp mechanisms 32, 34 that are selectively moveable between a clamped position and an unclamped position. When in the clamped position, the clamp mechanisms 32, 34 engage the guides 22, 24 and fix the rip fence 30 with respect to the blade 16 and the table 18. When in the unclamped position, the clamp mechanisms 32, 34 disengage from the guides 22, 24 and permit the rip fence 30 to slide along the table surface. The guides 22, 24 are configured to permit the rip fence 30 to be easily attached to and removed from the table. The guides 22, 24 also permit the fence 30 to slide across the surface of the table 18 for positioning by a user of the table saw 10.
While the clamping systems of known rip fences can adequately secure the fence to the table, inefficiencies may arise when there is a need to repeatedly position and secure the fence to make repetitive, nonconsecutive cuts such as may occur when multiple users use the same table saw at a job site. As an illustrative example, suppose a single table saw is used by three users at a job site: User 1, User 2, and User 3. User 1 needs to perform repetitive cuts with the fence secured at a first measured position. User 2 also needs to perform repetitive cuts, but with the fence secured at a second measured position that is different than the first measured position. User 3 is performing rough ripping such that the fence can be secured at one or more approximate positions that are different than the first and second measured positions.
If User 1 cannot complete all of his or her repetitive cuts consecutively, and the fence is thereafter moved to other positions by Users 2 or 3, then User 1 must expend valuable time and effort to reset the fence to the first measured position when the table saw is available again. The same situation arises if User 2 cannot complete all of his or her repetitive cuts consecutively, and the fence is thereafter moved to other positions by Users 1 or 3. These inefficiencies are further compounded if additional users need access to the same table saw at the job site.
In view of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a table saw with at least one stop mechanism configured to set and/or record a custom position of a fence on the table saw so that the fence is repeatably positionable at the custom position after being moved to other positions on the table. It would be further advantageous if the stop mechanism could be located to set and/or record the custom position of the fence, yet other users can freely move the fence along the table to any desired position without interfering with the stop mechanism. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide the table saw with a plurality of stop mechanisms to set and/or record a plurality of custom positions.